“Sugar Free” Poison, Aspartame

Do you have an excess of weight around your belly, hips or thighs that you just can’t seem to lose? Do you consume diet soda, chew gum, or use conventional toothpastes and mouthwashes? Do you substitute Splenda/Equal for sugar in your coffee or tea? If so, this post is for you.

I have decided to do one post per week centered around deceptive labeling/marketing. This way, every week you can learn about a misleading marketing ploy that you can watch out for. I will tag any post addressing deceptive marketing to the category “Misleading Mondays”. Today is my first post for “Misleading Mondays” and is rather in depth and lengthy, but be sure to read through to the end. 🙂

One thing that continually surprises me is the “sugar-free” myth that people frequently buy into when looking for healthier options at the supermarket. “SUGAR FREE” has gained wide popularity and people cling to it thinking that because it does not have sugar, it is somehow a healthier choice. Good day for the people marketing it, but sad day for the average consumer…

While excess sugar contributes to weight gain, excess consumption of “sugar-free” products contributes to weight gain AND more serious side affects.

Let me explain in layman’s terms: In the food and drug marketing world, once they recognize that the general public has caught on that a particular ingredient is “bad” ie: sugar, they will market their product to not contain that specific ingredient deemed “bad” and replace the “bad” ingredient with chemicals (that are worse) to mimic that former “bad” ingredient. By doing this, they can create the appearance of protecting the consumer and drive more sales. We have seen this replacement idea manifest with sugar (“sugar-free”, pictured above), fat (“fat-free”), butter (margarine), salt (“low-sodium”), calorie counting (“light or lite”), MSG (“no MSG”), etc. (By the way, those are all topics for another “Misleading Monday” post!)

Everyone knows sugar is bad, but everyone does not know that the chemical alternatives used in most “sugar-free” products are actually even WORSE!

Watch out for these artificial and chemically-laden sweeteners that actually do more harm to your body than processed sugar (which is already advertised as being bad, and yet these chemicals are worse!)

ASPARTAME (NutriSweet) – There are 92 different health side effects associated with aspartame consumption. Some of the side effects linked to aspartame reported are HEADACHES (most common), MIGRAINES, various NEUROPSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS -(including, but not limited to panic attacks, mood changes, visual hallucinations, manic episodes, and isolated dizziness), NERVOUSNESS, DIZZINESS, MEMORY IMPAIRMENT, NAUSEA, TEMPER OUTBURSTS, DEPRESSION, RESTLESS LEGS, TREMORS and SEIZURES. Once Aspartame is ingested into your body, it breaks down into a toxic chemical (methyl alcohol) which further breaks down into formic acid and formaldehyde (a chemical used for embalming people- gross). The formaldehyde binds to your fat cells and acts as a preservative for body fat and shows up as EXCESS WEIGHT & CELLULITE on your hips, thighs, and abdomen.

One of the many rats that experienced huge cancerous growth and tumors from ingesting aspartame. (Study done on 108 over the course of 32 months)

SUCRALOSE (Splenda) -An artificial sweetener similar to Aspartame, Sucralose is a chlorinated version of sucrose (not a horrible sugar). To confuse people who are ingredient readers (you and me), they named this product slightly different than the good reputation sucrose, and made it sound similar (sucrose-good and SucrALose-bad) so consumers would not catch that there was a fake cancer causing sugar in their “no calorie and sugar-free” item- those sneaky and deceptive chemists! Research showed that Sucralose can cause SHRUNKEN THYMUS GLANDS (up to 40% shrinkage), ENLARGED LIVER AND KIDNEYS, CAECAL ENLARGEMENT, and RENAL MINERALIZATION. All studies done for long-term use of Sucralose do not demonstrate safety for health. Sucralose is like ingesting tiny amounts of CHLORINATED PESTICIDES and in my opinion years of use may contribute to serious chronic immunological or neurological disorders.

Fuze advertised as “healthy”, but contains Sucralose.

SORBITOL & XYLITOL – These are the newest disguise labels of junk sweeteners and even though they are made from the breakdown of corn glucose (they advertise as natural), they are not healthy in the least bit. Both xylitol and sorbitol are linked to possible side effects of IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME, ABDOMINAL DISCOMFORT & IRRITATION in the digestive tract, GAS, BLOATING, CRAMPS, NAUSEA, DIARRHEA, DEHYDRATION, ACIDOSIS, ELECTROLYTE DISTURBANCES, CARDIOVASCULAR PROBLEMS, and ALLERGIC REACTIONS. Doesn’t this sound like stuff people deal with as normal? It is not normal people, and you don’t have to deal with any of those symptoms now that you are informed. 🙂
Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/222889-side-effects-of-xylitol-and-sorbitol/#ixzz2Lx9cVX4rhttp://www.foodintol.com/sorbitol-the-trouble-with-sugar-free

SACCHARIN- Foods containing saccharin used to carry a label stating that the “use of this product may be hazardous to your health…contains saccharin which has been determined to cause cancer in laboratory animals.” Some health side effects of this chemical sweetener have been PRURITUS (itchy skin), URTICARIS (hives), ECZEMA, PHOTOSENSITIVITY, INCREASED RISK OF BLADDER CANCER, WHEEZING, NAUSEA, DIARRHEA, TONGUE BLISTERS, TACHYCARDIA (faster than normal heart rate), FIXED ERUPTIONS, HEADACHES, DIURESIS (excessive urine production), and SENSORY NEUROPATHY. Ingestion of saccharin-adulterated milk formula by infants was associated with irritability, hypertonia, insomnia, opisthotonos, and strabismus, which resolved within 36 hours after ingestion.

ACESULFAME K (Sunette, Sweet & Safe, Sweet One)– Acesulfame Potassium (K) was approved for use by the FDA as a safe artificial sweetener in July, l988. It is a derivative of acetoacetic acid. Unfortunately, several potential problems associated with the use of acesulfame have been raised. They are based largely on animal studies since testing on humans remains limited. The findings showed the following: Acesulfame K stimulates insulin secretion in a dose dependent fashion thereby possibly aggravating reactive hypoglycemia (“low blood sugar attacks”). LUNG TUMORS, BREAST TUMORS, rare types of tumors of other organs (such as the thymus gland), several forms of LEUKEMIA, and CHRONIC RESPIRATORY DISEASE in several rodent studies, even when less than maximum doses were given. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, it was petitioned on August 29, l988 for a stay of approval by the FDA because of “significant doubt” about its safety.

It is very important that people who have any interest in their health stay away from the highly toxic sweetener aspartame and other questionable sweeteners such as Sucralose (Splenda), Sorbitol, Saccharin, and Acesulfame-K (Sunette, Sweet & Safe, Sweet One). Please see the extensive resources for sweeteners below:

Thank you to Dr. Janet Hull to provide us with insight on the dangers of Aspartame where I found most of the information above. 🙂 Check out her website sweetpoison.com to learn more.

Although sugar is not healthy for you in the least bit, the altered versions of sugar listed above are by far even more unhealthy for you! So when reading labels and you come across ANYTHING that says “sugar-free” do your due diligence and scan the ingredients for aspartame, sucralose, saccharin, sorbitol, xylitol, acesulfame k!

There is SO MUCH MORE information out there on the use of artificial sweeteners and the dangers of them, however the bottom line to know is that they are not good or beneficial for your body in ANY WAY, and in reality they are harmful to your body. Sometimes the studies on these sweeteners declare them being “safe”, but “safe” is relative and is their generic cover up word to inform an average consumer that it is okay to eat since the side effects don’t show up till after a pro-longed exposure or excess amounts. The reality is that it is deteriorating your health. Keep researching if you think that they are safe, I promise it will only expose the truth. 🙂

Toss and throw out anything you may have in your house with these artificial sweeteners in them and start being an informed, educated and healthy consumer.

P.S. Stay fresh people, and always remember to drink your greens! (sweetened with stevia- a sweet leafy plant sweetener that does ZERO damage to your body – the BEST natural sweetener that God made!) you can help erradicate human trafficking at the same time! $8.00 of every purchase of NatureRich greens through links off of this blog go directly to FUEL HOPE‘s partner Pearl Alliance to stop international human trafficking.

13 comments

Lisa

Sarah, love love love your post today!!!

Is it possible for you to put a Facebook ‘like’ button at the end of each of your posts? I would love to be able to share the ones that strike me most w my friends and family?! Just a thought!! Keep up the good work!!

ok, for people like me who live in the healthy choice, dieting world, would u please make a post about good things to ingest that are lower in calories but dont have these things in them… im officially freaked out! i feel so decieved!! 🙁
thank u
<3 ur page!

Alexis, try not to be freaked out! I understand it can seem like a lot of information if you have not heard it before, but I promise it gets easier the more you understand. It is great that you are learning how to be an educated consumer!
Basically just try to buy things with very few ingredients! The closer you can get to the source, the better off you will be ALWAYS! ie: buy whole apples and juice them rather than buying preservative laden and pasteurized apple juice. By juicing them yourself, you get ALL of the nutrition and it digests as a healthy sugar, not simple sugar. Make your own food from scratch instead of buying pre-made. Increase your fruits and vegetables versus packaged foods! Live by the 80/20 rule. 80% good – eat healthy when you can control it. 20% – the not as healthy, but you can’t control scenarios – friends birthday party, guest somewhere, celebrations etc. It will get easier, I promise! Thanks for reading girl, just throw out any “diet” stuff you have! 🙂

I really think you should try to take a double look at more of the science and organic chemistry behind aspartame. For starters, aspartame has a very different method of decomposition in humans and primates as opposed to its decomposition in small mammals. Next, in many of the studies done on rats where aspartame was shown to be carcinogenic due to formaldehyde, aspartame was injected into the animals tested. In humans and primates it metabolizes fast enough in the small intestine that none of it generally enters the bloodstream and the only compounds absorbed are the amino acids such as phenylalanine and tyrosine. Whenever it’s been shown to be cytotoxic (causing chromosomal damage) tests have also been done by administering aspartame through injections or exposing cells directly to it in petri dishes. You will find that there is tons more information, and that the number of studies that prove aspartame is safe in humans far outnumbers those that claim it is carcinogenic in at least small mammals.

We are going to have to agree to disagree on this one. 🙂 I appreciate your comment, however I disagree completely based on 1) looking at the current health trends of people (although I agree, not ALL are linked to aspartame and artificial sweeteners) 2) Companies being paid off to promote chemical garbage like aspartame as being “safe” without long-term research 3) common sense 4) research that I have studied that can combat each point you addressed. No worries mate, you can choose to eat it if you want, however I am going to stay far far away and advise others to do the same!

Congratulations on quitting smoking! That is awesome! I agree with you about the food manufacturers though… it is unfortunate for sure. Way to educate yourself and steward your body well! 🙂 Baby steps…. Let me know if you have any questions! 🙂 – “Greens”